North P&I Club: Controlling Hot Work

The North P&I Club has issued loss prevention briefing on the issue of hot work and advises about the risk, hot work policies and procedures and how to control it. The Club says that the risk of damage and injury of hot work has long been identified and suggests to keep the systems controlling hot work simple, brief and easy to understand.

Hot Work is a high risk task and the basic aim is to control it and prevent unauthorised work. A system that controls hot work should be easy to understand and be workable. It should:

Prevent hot work being carried out without managing the risks
Prevent hot work being carried out without supervision
Prevent hot work being carried out by untrained people
Ensure that a competent person takes responsibility
Makes sure that the master, skipper or the person in charge of the watch knows where and when hot work is taking place

How to prevent harm from Hot Work

Hot Work can result in uncontrolled fire on the vessel or personal injury or even death to the work and those nearby. Therefore, the Club recommends the following precautions to be taken on board:

Ensure the space is well ventilated
If flammable gasses are suspected then test before and during the hot work task
Check that the immediate area is free from combustibles
Check neighbouring or connected areas (such as other side of bulkhead) or internal areas (such as inside a tank) that may be heat affected to make sure they are free from flammables and combustibles
Bulkhead insulation may need to be removed
If appropriate, use portable barriers or shields and warning signs
Maintain a dedicated fire watch for both the immediate area and any potentially affected neighbouring/ connected areas throughout the full operation
Proper use of Personal Protective Equipment, such as welding mask/ goggles, gloves, apron
Make sure that the welding and burning equipment is properly maintained and serviced
Welding and burning equipment must be checked by a competent person before every use. Check that the hoses, cables and connections are in good condition
Check that flame arrestors are in place on both the oxygen and acetylene lines at both the torch and bottle ends
Persons carrying out the hot work should be properly trained and checks made to ensure they are competent